


Alive and Almost Kicking

by lar_laughs



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: scifiland, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-03
Updated: 2011-04-03
Packaged: 2017-10-17 12:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lar_laughs/pseuds/lar_laughs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Ronon are hurt on a mission and, while Teyla goes for help, they make the most of the time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alive and Almost Kicking

The nights were cold on this planet. John couldn't remember the designation and that worried him. He was shivering with cold and the fear that had settled in to the marrow of his bones now that he was tasked with nothing more than waiting. Teyla had been gone for... he couldn't remember how long Teyla had been gone. She told him it wasn't important. The only thing he needed to remember was that she was coming back. _Remember, John. Remember that I am coming back. I do not want you worrying yourself sick. Take care of Ronon and take care of yourself._

A sound from outside the grounded jumper had him flinching. Now that the ice storm was over, he couldn't tell if these noises were from the distressed metal or if there was something else out there, waiting to see what frozen delight they might find inside. If the weather hadn't been so bad, he would have made a fire. There was nothing like a crackling flame to stare at while waiting for the inevitable of death. _Don't think like that, John. We aren't going to die. We've just had a minor set back. It's nothing we haven't handled before._

"Sheppard!" Ronon came out of unconsciousness with a yell, as always. The blood had dried on the skin over his wounds so that he looked like he'd fallen into a can of red paint. John knew he looked exactly the same but he'd had the added bonus of staying awake through it all. Considering that Ronon had taken the brunt of the slide, saving John's life and keeping Teyla out of harm's way altogether.

If he'd thought about getting to his feet, the wave of dizziness stopped that in the first moment. Crawling over to where Ronon lay on the other side of the jumper was hard enough. No way he was making it further, though. He fell against the wall, feeling the jar of the unforgiving metal against the bruises on his back. _I would give you something for the pain out of the med kit but you can barely stay awake right now. It is for the best, John._

"You're alive. Good. I'd ask you how you're feeling but I'm going to assume that frown means your head hurts."

"Not the only thing." Ronon tried to pull his hands out of the confining covers that Teyla had tucked around him but gave up when he realized the extent of the injury to his shoulder. "Where's Teyla?"

John moved closer to Ronon's side. All that body heat was going to waste. "Gone for help. She was able to get out before the ice storm hit."

"Why didn't she take us with her? Are we in the jumper? Why don't we take it back through the gate?"

"You don't remember?" He wondered if Ronon would fill in his gaps or if they would forget the same things. _Please do not worry about forgetting. Just concentrate on remembering what you can. The other will come back. You need to give your body time to heal._ "We lost the fuel cells."

 _Ronon flinched as he tried to turn to see John's face, to read the emotion with his eyes instead of just having to rely on his ears. John was glad that he didn't succeed. "Lost? How in the hell do you _lose_ fuel cells?"_

That was the last question he wanted to answer, seeing as he didn't know the answer. Teyla had only given him the barest of explanations before she left. "I don't know, buddy. You warm enough?"

"Enough. Your lips are turning blue. Where's the blanket from your med kit?" After working at edge near his nearly working arm, Ronon lifted up the edge to John. It was an invitation that he wasn't going to turn down but he hated that he was bringing in the cold air like a disease introduced into a healing environment.

"It's under the same pile of rock that we dug your sorry ass out of." When Ronon grunted, a normal positive response for the man, John settled against his side. The sigh was as much from delight as it was out of satisfaction to not be upright any longer. His head was starting to hurt again, which reminded him of something else that Teyla had told him. "Don't let me fall asleep. You probably shouldn't sleep either."

"Too bad we can't take advantage of this opportunity." Ronon's hand searched until it found John's arm, clutching at it as if trying to read John's state of mind from the way it lay. "Seems as if we don't get much time alone these days."

Ronon's heartbeat and unique scent was lulling John into a place of peace even as the jumper creaked and groaned in protest. He hoped that the blanket really was helping to raise his temperature because, otherwise, he was in the last stages of hypothermia. That was enough to get him propped up on his elbow, no matter how much the movement made his head throb. "I say we take advantage of it. The both of us could use the exercise. You're getting fat with all the time spent on Atlantis."

"Fat? Look who's talking about getting fat, Mr. I-Am-Not-Flabby-Just-Well-Padded. I've been at the workout room every day since the last full moon and that was only because Jennifer wouldn't let me out of bed for nearly three days. Hated that plague."

All he could do was roll his eyes as the thought of that plague. It had been like the flu for the military personnel but the scientists and Ronon had been hit hard. The only reason he'd stayed in bed for three days had been because John had spent every minute at his bedside, equally soothing and threatening depending on how Ronon was trying to get out of the bed. Three days had been a week earlier than Jennifer had wanted him up but there was nothing she could do, short of strapping him down. That was only left as a last resort if he refused the rest of his treatment which he'd been rather docile in receiving. That, if nothing else, was enough to prove how sick he'd been.

"Yeah," John whispered, "I hated it, too."

"So, you gonna kiss me? Or just stare at me?"

"Your choice." But John didn't give him a chance to say anything before leaning over, on trembling arms, and kissing him soundly. If he was going to freeze to death, it was going to be with a smile on his face.


End file.
